The present invention relates to a hole-forming device that allows holes to be formed in a safe and reliable manner in cans used for spraying their contents such as spray cans, gas tank cartridges for stoves, and the like. When these containers are to be discarded, these holes are formed as vent holes to release residual gas.
When discarding spray cans, gas tank cartridges for stoves, and the like, after use, residual gas inside the container may not be completely discharged. This residual gas is often left inside the container when it is discarded. This is extremely dangerous for workers during the disposal operation, and can also have a negative impact on the environment.
For these reasons, various devices have been developed to form gas venting holes in cans so that the gas in containers can be discharged. Many of these form a gas venting hole for discharging residual gas by puncturing a side surface or a bottom surface of a container using a plate material or the like having a nail, a needle, or a sharpened end. This type of device has been the most common.
As described above, many of the dedicated devices used to form gas venting holes for the discharge of gas from used containers involves a sharp end, i.e., a nail-shaped end. However, when forming holes with a nail-shaped member, the puncturing of the container with the nail-shaped member is dangerous.
In particular, since a can is cylindrical in shape, the side surface is a curved side surface. Also, the bottom surface is almost always formed as a concave spherical surface. Thus, when a tool having a nail-shaped member is to be driven to puncture a container, the end of the nail-shaped member can very easily slip along the side surface of the container if driven at an orientation that is even slightly shifted from a perpendicular orientation. This makes forming a gas-venting hole difficult.
Of course, if the end of the nail-shaped member slips when being driven in, this is also dangerous for the worker performing the operation. Thus, when forming a gas venting hole in a can using a tool having a nail-shaped member, the nail-shaped member must be kept in a fixed and stable state. Among the various hole-forming devices, almost none take this issue into consideration.
It is an object of the invention to provide a hole-forming device operable with both ease and safety.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a hole-forming device performing hole forming in the bottom of cans without fail, which is mechanically simple.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a hole-forming device having a variety of materials applicable to the present invention, for example, metals, synthetic resin, plastics and the like, which can prepare for hole-forming with a simple operation.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a hole-forming device relieving the shock when forming a hole in a bottom of cans.
As a result of diligent research into this problem, the present inventor has found a safe and reliable way to form gas vent holes for cans and has overcome the problems described above by providing a hole-forming device that includes a base member having a hole-forming projection on it and having a pressing member located under the base member. Both the base member and the pressing member are accommodated in a case. The pressing member slides in the case and pushes the base member towards the upper part of the case.
The present invention also provides a hole-forming device which includes a pressing portion fixing the base member roughly so that the hole-forming projection is normally accommodated in the case and having a fitting chip formed in either the base member or the pressing member. The base member is engaged with the pressing member, a part of which is taken out by way of the fitting chip (fitting chips). The pressing member pushes (presses) the base member to the upper part of the case.
Briefly stated, the present invention provides a hole-forming device which includes a base member having a pressured slope and a pressing slope. The pressured slope is formed as the lower end surface of the base member. The pressing slope is formed as the upper end surface of the pressing member. The lower end part of the pressing member sticks out from the lower end of the case by circumferential rotation of the pressing member to the base member.
Further stated, the present invention provides a hole-forming device which includes the base member having a pressured unflat surface and the pressing member having a pressing unflat surface. The pressing unflat surface is formed to put in contact with the pressured unflat surface.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a hole-forming device comprising: a case fittable to a bottom portion of a can receptacle; a base member accommodated in said case; said base member slidable along the longitudinal direction of said case; a hole-forming projection being formed on an upper surface of said base member; a pressing portion fixing roughly said base member so that said hole-forming projection is normally accommodated in said case; a pressing member placed under said base member; upper end of said pressing member being inserted in a lower part of said base member; a fitting chip formed at least in either said base member or said pressing member; and whereby said base member is engaged with said pressing member a part of which is taken out of said base member, and said base member is slidable upward to the upper part of said case by pushing said pressing member.
The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals designate the same elements.